Univision Names New Sports Chief

Spanish-language broadcaster Univision has named Alexander “Sandy” Brown the new president of Sports. Brown will be replacing Alina FalcÃ³n, who is leaving her role as president of news & sports to become a senior advisor for the network.

“I am thrilled to join such a terrific team at Univision in advancing and expanding the Company’s existing world class sports offerings,” said Brown in a statement. “Univision has an incredible reputation within the world of sports and ownership of the biggest and most important sports properties for the Hispanic community. I look forward to further enhancing the sports coverage and bringing the most exciting moments in sports television to their devoted, passionate fans.”

More information, after the jump.

UNIVISION ANNOUNCES KEY APPOINTMENTS

NEW YORK, DECEMBER 9, 2010 – Univision Communications Inc., the premier Spanish-language media company in the United States, today announced that longtime journalist Isaac Lee has been named president of News and that Alexander “Sandy” Brown has been named president of Sports. The Company also announced that Alina FalcÃ³n, a Univision veteran of 26 years who has held numerous senior roles throughout the organization, has decided to leave her current position leading news and sports programming and production to consult on special projects.

Lee, 39, most recently founded and served as chairman and editor-in-chief of influential magazine PODER. He will be responsible for leading the Company’s news division, including strategic and editorial oversight of programming and production across the Univision Networks, Univision Local Media and Univision Interactive Media. Lee spent the past 14 years in editorial roles leading top journalistic teams at prominent publications serving Spanish-speaking audiences in the U.S. and Latin America. Lee will be based in Miami and report to Cesar Conde, president, Univision Networks.

Brown, 48, previously CEO of media representation firm Petry Holding, will lead company-wide sports strategy and operations in his new role, overseeing sports programming across the Company’s platforms. He joins Univision with over 20 years of widely recognized leadership in broadcasting and media at prominent organizations such as ESPN, the National Basketball Association, Worldspace, Virtual Spectator and CNBC – much of which he has spent successfully managing multi-platform, cross-cultural sports programming for international audiences. Brown will be based in New York and will also report to Conde.

Joe Uva, president and chief executive officer, Univision Communications, said, “We are thrilled to welcome Isaac and Sandy to the Univision family and believe that their extensive media experience and deep industry relationships will be instrumental in taking our news and sports offerings to the next level. I am confident that with his intimate understanding of our audiences, Isaac will further advance our mission to provide the most informative, unbiased and comprehensive news coverage to the U.S. Hispanic community while Sandy will further bolster our top-notch sports offerings with his profound track record of strategic and results-driven leadership in sports. I also want to thank Alina for her many years of service to Univision and the Hispanic community. We are delighted that she will remain a consultant and special advisor to the Company so that we can continue to benefit from her insights.”

Conde commented, “Throughout her career at Univision, Alina has been a pivotal force in guiding the Company to its current leadership position with a powerful combination of journalistic integrity, professionalism and experience. I join the Univision family in thanking Alina for her contributions and look forward to her continuing to drive growth and success throughout our organization in her new role. I also look forward to working alongside Isaac and Sandy as we continue to expand our lead as the #1 destination for Hispanic America.”

FalcÃ³n said, “I am so grateful for the opportunity to work alongside such a talented and dedicated team at Univision, and to have experienced such success at our Company. We have transformed the media landscape and given a voice to the issues that matter most to U.S. Hispanics. I feel that Univision is ideally positioned to ultimately become the #1 network in America, and I look forward to helping achieve this reality for the Company while having the freedom to pursue longstanding personal interests in my new advisory role for special projects.”

Lee commented, “I am honored to have the opportunity to lead the ongoing development of Univision’s unmatched news offerings. As a longtime member of the Spanish-language media I have always had tremendous respect for the incredible strides that Univision has made in delivering informative, entertaining and empowering content to the U.S. Hispanic community and feel fortunate to have this opportunity to continue enhancing and expanding the impact of Univision’s news offerings well into the future. I look forward to working with the incredible news operations teams at Univision.”

Brown said, “I am thrilled to join such a terrific team at Univision in advancing and expanding the Company’s existing world class sports offerings. Univision has an incredible reputation within the world of sports and ownership of the biggest and most important sports properties for the Hispanic community. I look forward to further enhancing the sports coverage and bringing the most exciting moments in sports television to their devoted, passionate fans.”

A native of Colombia, for the past 10 years Lee has been a resident of the United States and has dedicated himself to chronicling the ascent of the U.S. Hispanic population through PODER, a business magazine and website. Earlier in his career, Lee served as editor-in-chief of Semana, Colombia’s most prestigious news magazine and as editor of Cromos, Latin America’s oldest magazine. Prior to that he also held posts at TV broadcasters. Lee is a member of the IAPA, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, the Foro Iberoamerica, serves on the boards of Youthline and the Americas Business Council and is an advisor to ASHOKA.

Brown has worked in the media and broadcasting industry for more than two decades. He joins Univision from Petry Holding, a full service media representation with over 175 television station clients across the United States, where he served as chief executive officer. While in this post, Brown oversaw the Company’s return to profitability and launched a number of successful new ventures. Previously, Brown held a series of influential sports-based broadcasting positions, including: managing director for ESPN Asia and ESPN STAR Sports; and president/chief operating officer of Virtual Spectator. Brown has significant executive-level experience in the industry for both public and private companies including serving as president and chief executive officer of CNBC Asia and co-chief operating officer of Worldspace. Throughout his career, Brown has developed value-creating domestic and international strategies for broadcast media outlets.

Subscribe to Adweek

Featured Courses

Storytelling for Media ProfessionalsUse smart storytelling to build your brandLearn more >Digital Media Planning and BuyingBuild the foundation for successful media planning in a constantly evolving marketLearn more >Develop a Freelance Writing CareerBuild a thriving career as a freelancerLearn more >Digital Editorial ProductionMaster content management systems and the user experienceLearn more >See more Courses >